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Genteel Collective of Gatorfolk - Project Log

Video of the entire display board, with music coming from inside the riverboat.

Once I get the display board back (it rode back to DC in a friend's car), I'll have to take some pictures of the whole thing and post them. For now, enjoy the video.

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I'm starting a new army, huzzah!, and since it's from scratch and will require lots of conversion work, I think a project log is probably in order. In this endeavor, I shall be aided by Plarzoid on some of the more complicated conversions, and he'll probably blog about it.

Below is the write-up and inspiration for the force, and some concept pictures for reference.

The "Genteel Collective" is a fine gathering of only the most sophisticated of gatorgents, attired in the finest vestments ever to be stolen from devoured passengers of a hijacked riverboat. But their classiness belies their deadly nature, and the accoutrements of society mask an inner, primal ferocity.

The Genteel Collective is a Blindwater list led by Calaban, and featuring an array of Gatorfolk and other swamp creatures, who have taken up residence on a riverboat whose former occupants have fallen on hard times, having been recently devoured by the Gatorfolk. There will be Bogtrog crewmen, well-attired Gatormen, and a level of classiness unmatched on the tabletop. Each model will require a substantial amount of conversion, but the tophat-to-monocle ratio will probably be the highest you've seen since the Victorian era!

So that's about it. What do you think?
I'll be updating this as things progress.
Wish me luck!

Having different things appeal to different players is the way that we keep a broader audience engaged and how we appeal to new players... View the things that don't appeal to you as a necessary evil if you must, but maybe look at them instead as something that will ensure this game you play will still be around years down the road.

that is just about the best idea for gators i have yet to hear! Seriously, If i played gators and was a tad bit more of an idea-thief i would do this in a heartbeat! very excited to see how this turns out!

Quote Originally Posted by Ragesmith:
"Internet" of course coming from the ancient Babylonian word for "complaining loudly and constantly about a minor grievance."

Nothing worth posting yet, as I'm still in the process of acquiring the models I need. Lots of work is already going into the bases, though. Since they're on a boat, most of the bases are ship decking, which involves cutting up lots of coffee stir-sticks and then staining them. Mundane work, but it will eventually look nice and add a lot to each model, I feel.

Having different things appeal to different players is the way that we keep a broader audience engaged and how we appeal to new players... View the things that don't appeal to you as a necessary evil if you must, but maybe look at them instead as something that will ensure this game you play will still be around years down the road.

So, which gators will have handlebar moustaches? and which will get cigars??

Perhaps most importantly of all, who brought the brandy?!

Originally Posted by Bloodsplatter artist

They're actually part of its reproductive cycle. If left unmolested the stormpod will eventually hatch into an adorable squire. If he lives long enough he will become a firefly and eventually a Stormclad. From there, he can either grow into a storm wall or in extreme cases they reach an evolutionary dead end and become thunderheads.

A repose following the work of Gentleben over at belloflostsouls.net. You can see more shots and read about the process on this post on my blog. There's even a concept photo of what he may look like when finished!

Having different things appeal to different players is the way that we keep a broader audience engaged and how we appeal to new players... View the things that don't appeal to you as a necessary evil if you must, but maybe look at them instead as something that will ensure this game you play will still be around years down the road.

In regards to that most magnificent troupe of bayou patricians, I believe it is now the time to explain some specifics regarding army builds and individual concepting for models/units.

Army Build
Below are three difference lists: a 35pt Blindwater Congregation army (led by Calaban), a 50pt Blindwater (Calaban) list, and a 50pt Calaban Theme List. I plan to have each of these armies ready in time for the Battle for Blob's Park, but in the more immediate future, I plan to have the 35pt list ready in time for Lock & Load Gamefest in Seattle, WA. I think the lists have a good mix of heavy infantry and warbeasts, with a nice amount of speed and denial to keep me alive until battle is joined.

Modeling Concepts - S.S. Classei aus Foche
Once I got my army lists built, it was time to get started on individual concepting for the models I would be using.

Blacktie Wrastler - When it comes to classying-up a battle, these guys are where it's at. I will be making a pair of Blackties, who are not only combatants but also natural showmen. The first (seen here) is raising a toast to the other classy gatorgents. The second will be giving them the razzle-dazzle, performing some of the greatest-hits showtunes of the Iron Kingdoms.Ironhide Scoffer - Those who cannot do become critics. In the high-society world of the gatorgents, jealous of the acting and combat capacity of the Blackties, the Ironhide spews vitriolic criticism at his enemies, with the capacity to physically kill. Despite his foul demeanor, he is a true patron of the arts, and is never seen without his Playbill and opera glasses.Bull Snapper - These little guys will be happily leaping from the water (or maybe deck-chairs), bowties on and canes/luftballons in hand. They look so excited, and they'll be ready to party!Wrong Eye & Snapjaw - Wrong Eye is a slightly less-couth Gatorgent, who none-the-less still dresses somewhat fancily. His large companion, Snapjaw, is truly the Mr. Hyde to his Dr. Jekyll.Gatorgent Collective - Wherever there is a ball to be attended, a play to be watched, or topic to be gentlemanly debated, you will fine a gathering of Gatorgents. Dressed in evening-wear (and even a ballgown), the Gatorgents saunter about with tophats, waist coats, and other vestments. Bogtrog Crewmen - Every ship needs a crew, and on the Classei aus Foche it is the the bogtrogs who man the helm, keep the boiler fired, and swab the decks. When combat comes, they scramble out of hatches or down from rigging, and one is never sure from whence these soot-covered crewmen will arrive. Professor T.T. Hunter - The mysterious traveler from the distant land, the quixotic Professor Totem T. Hunter has an air of the exotic. He tells tales of traveling far and wide, pitting his well-honed wits against the greatest beasts of the land.'Croak', Assistant to Prof. Hunter - Assistant to the intriguing Professor Hunter, 'Croak', as he is called, is aid the Professor in his journeys. Coming from a far-away land, he lacks the sophistication of the other passengers aboard the ship, but is ever at hand with a box of cigars, glass of brandy, or a sharpened hunting spear--whichever is more useful at the time. He pops up so regularly, you'd almost think he had a twin.Captain Calaban - Last, but not least, is the Captain of the vessel, leader of the Genteel Collective, Sir Calaban. Currently, I'm not entirely sure how he will be modified, but however it is done will require extensive reposing and conversion of the original model. I am undecided as to his ultimate garb, but I imagine epaulettes are not out of the question.

Farrow Bridgecrew - In the theme list, you will find Farrow Bonegr...Bridgecrew. These stalwart lads are there to help the Captain do what needs doing to correctly guide the ship through whatever it comes across. They may seem out of place, but they're the best chartists and helmsmen to be found in the swamps of Immoren (which, granted, means they don't see a lot of competition).

Current modeling progress has been limited to decking bases (wooden bases with the occasional railings, tables, etc.), and a repose of the first Blacktie Wrastler (a detailed how-to can be found on Plarzoid's site, here). I have gotten good ideas from several others, in terms of concepts and techniques, but am always looking for me ideas! Please send'em my way!

A much faster way to do the bases would be to either get base inserts for the planks or sculpt a master base for each size and cast your own. I covered the slot on a medium base then slathered some green stuff down, smoothed it out and then sculpted a bunch of straight lines going all in the same direction. Next, I did some random lines running perpindicular to the original lines. These lines only went across one "board" and never lined up exactly with each other and they were irregularly sized to make the planking look more ramshackle. As I imagine you want yours to look much more proper so I would suggest to do a toothed seam for the boards where the cross lines are just slightly off from one another and they alternate placement row by row, making kind of a toothy grin.

If you haven't played around with casting anything before I highly suggest getting some Omuyaru from either ebay or etsy. That stuff is sex on a stick when it comes to small casting jobs. I've been playing around with it for a few weeks and getting used to casting in general and I am extremely impressed by what it is able to do. So far it has easily reproduced every test piece I have tried, barring some bad mold making on my part.

As far as the lists go, you might want to relook at the tier list. I don't remember the Gobbers or Totem Hunter being available to either Calaban or Barny's tiers, but otherwise the lists look solid. I am a fan of putting a Spitter on Wrong Eye in the tier list though for the extra point savings and he can fairly easily support one since he will usually only be using one fury per turn, maybe two.

You know, Space Donkey, shortly after posting this, in a bit of frustration, I started looking around for alternatives and found a company that does resin bases with a planked deck look for rather cheap. This made me happy.

Originally Posted by Space Donkey

As far as the lists go, you might want to relook at the tier list. I don't remember the Gobbers or Totem Hunter being available to either Calaban or Barny's tiers, but otherwise the lists look solid. I am a fan of putting a Spitter on Wrong Eye in the tier list though for the extra point savings and he can fairly easily support one since he will usually only be using one fury per turn, maybe two.

I believe you're right, Sir! I'll have to swap that out. Thanks for the reminder.
I've got a sub-in right now, which I think is legal. I've to look at it a bit more, and decide whether I want more crewmen, or perhaps a Formalgeist.

Which base company did you go with? I am always interested in finding new sources for scenic bases.

I convert enough of my models that I decided a long time ago to use premade scenic bases instead of scratch-building. I still scratch-build bases for specific models but not for a whole army. It has really cut down on the modelling time.

I bought a bunch of base inserts from Ironhalo.net for my trolls. $3 per package with either 5 30mm, 3 40 mm, or 2 50mm bases. The shipping was really reasonable and rather quick considering it was coming from all the way in New Zealand. They also included some some free dice in all of the orders I have done. The plank base that I sculpted was more or less just a test piece to try one part press molds when I got my Omuyaru and ShapeLock. Both of them worked fairly well for making bases, but the Omuyaru was much more user friendly although the lines on it weren't quite as sharp.

As an aside about ShapeLock, I fully believe that if you were to make a 2" thick plate, it would stop small arms fire. When trying to make cut apart a two piece press mold, none of my blades made any ground, except for my actual saw. I ended up having to remelt the plastic to recover the piece inside. This stuff is unbelievably rigid and absolutely refuses to let go of anything it has a multi-dimensional grip on.

Hey, an update! I finally got greenstuff in, so I've started gap filling the Blacktie Wrastler. Once all the gapfilling and re-shaping of the cut up parts is done, it will be time for some of the fun stuff, like french cuffs, cummerbunds and top hats!

Having different things appeal to different players is the way that we keep a broader audience engaged and how we appeal to new players... View the things that don't appeal to you as a necessary evil if you must, but maybe look at them instead as something that will ensure this game you play will still be around years down the road.

Further update: the last of the needed models have now been ordered, and I'm merely awaiting their delivery. Furthermore, to add uniformity and save a TON of time, I ordered a bunch of wood planking bases from Fat Spider Casting. What I like about these, aside from the fact that they are uniform and easier to just buy than order, is that they are wood decking, not just wood pieces. The tiny nails and pattern is perfect for a ship's deck, and probably more detailed than I was willing to expend in energy trying to custom make them.

Hopefully my order will come in soon, and I can start posting serious updates in the near-future.

I was looking at Plarz's blog, as i do like 2-3 times a week Faultie, and the Wrastler is looking great. But I have one itty bitty ehhhhh to it. He has TINY feet!!! I told Plarz he should sculpt tap dancing shoes on him.....I think you should persuade him too .